The mango is a tropical fruit that has found an international home in the 21st century. The large, dense, orange-fleshed treat is delicious on its own, but can also be included in many cooked recipes. The fruit has a sweet, mild flavor that can be successfully blended into a variety of dishes, both sweet and savory.

One of the best drinks a person can make with this fruit is the traditional Indian mango lassi. The fruit has been cultivated in India for more than 2,000 years, and it can turn this milkshake into a thick, flavorful cooler. To make one, a cook can combine plain yogurt, fruit chunks or slices, a little white sugar, and a few tablespoons (around an ounce or so, or about 30 ml) of ice water in a blender. After blending until smooth, the cook may wish to put the blender in the freezer for about ten minutes to thicken the mixture. Mangoes are delicious in any fruit smoothie, and add texture that can allow the maker to forgo fattening ice-cream.

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To spice up southwestern cuisine, a cook can try making his own tangy mango and avocado salsa. The fruit can be peeled and cut into small chunks, and combined in a bowl with avocado, red onion, bell peppers, a finely chopped hot pepper, and cilantro. These ingredients can then be tossed with a splash of olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and a dash of sugar. This recipe is quick, easy, and sure to kick quesadillas or nachos up a level.

It can also be used as a twist on banana or zucchini bread. A favorite sweet bread batter can have the mashed pulp added to the mixture before baking. Bakers may also want to throw in raisins or currants, or add coconut for a truly tropical breakfast or snack bread. This bread is a great gift, especially if the cook adds a jar of pineapple jelly.

The wonderful creamy and thick texture of mangoes lends itself to making delicious chilled soups. These dishes are fantastic for hot summer suppers, and can be modified to make them sweet or spicy. For a low fat version, a cook can blend the peeled and sliced fruit with lemon juice, sugar and nonfat sour cream. It can be served over berries as a seasonal dessert, or spiced up with cinnamon, cardamom, and hot peppers and served in shot glasses as a fiery first course.

As these fruits have a long history in Indian cuisine, they have a special place in the world of Indian chutneys. To make one, a cook can chop several mangoes into chunks and saute them with onions, chili, bell peppers and ginger. To this mixture, he can add pineapple juice, vinegar, curry powder, nuts, and whatever spices he enjoys. If stored properly, this mixture can last for weeks and is a delicious condiment for sandwiches and an excellent topping for toast. Some cooks pack it into jam jars and give it as a gift to friends.

Mangoes are somewhat intimidating, but are worth the effort of understanding their taste and texture. Once a person falls in love with the fruit, he will see that it is easily adapted into a variety of dishes. They are great for dieters, as they are quite nutritious and make and excellent substitute for heavier desserts. Slices can be dipped in honey and sprinkled with chili flakes for a fantastic and easy dessert that will satisfy the strongest sugar craving.

Discuss this Article

ddljohnPost 10

@simrin-- Yea, you can make it at home. It's usually made with mango pulp that is sold in the refrigerated section of international grocery stores. But of course, it's better to make it with fresh mango if you have that. Just make sure it's ripe mango.

You need to put milk or plain yogurt into the blender along with sugar and mangoes and blend it until it's smooth like a smoothie. Chill before you serve.

If you want, you can even turn this into a dessert by putting some vanilla ice cream in it. I've done that before, it was really good. This is probably one of the easiest mango recipes around.

SteamLouisPost 9

@ddljohn-- That sounds really good. Is it possible to make that at home? I guess I need a blender right?

The only mango drink I've had is mango juice. I buy this ready made from the grocery store.

ddljohnPost 8

My favorite mango recipe is mango lassi. It's a drink made from either milk or yogurt (or both) and mango pulp and sugar. It's a really popular cold drink in Southeast Asia, like in India and Pakistan.

I had it for the first time at an Indian restaurant and loved it. It's sweet but also slightly tart from the yogurt. It's so delicious. It also counters spicy food really and well and is good for the stomach.

SarahSonPost 7

I don't usually order dessert when I go out to eat, but we were eating at a Thai restaurant for a birthday celebration and we decided to order one of their desserts.

I choose a dessert that was sticky rice with coconut milk and sliced mango with some coconut on the top. This tasted much better than I thought it would, and I ate every bit of it.

This is one of those desserts that you leaves you satisfied yet not overly stuffed. You also don't feel like you are on a sugar high when you have finished eating it. This is one dessert that I will definitely order again.

andeePost 6

The very first time I tried a chilled soup was on a cruise. When I realized how delicious these were, I started making them at home. These are perfect on a hot summer day and full of good nutrition.

Chilled strawberry and chilled mango soup are my favorites. As long as you have time for the soup to chill, it only takes a few minutes to prepare. I put mangoes, orange juice, yogurt and the juice of a lime in a food processor. Once that is mixed together then all you need to do is let it chill for about 2 hours.

Just don't expect it to last very long. It is hard to eat just one bowl of this fabulous soup.

sunshinedPost 5

It is great to read about other ways to use mangoes besides including them in a smoothie. Don't get me wrong, I love adding mangoes to just about any fruit smoothie I make. They add just the right amount of sweetness and blend in well with just about any other fruit.

I was especially interested in the suggestion of replacing bananas with mangoes in a quick bread. Many years at Christmas I have given small loaves of banana bread as a gift and I love the idea of substituting mangoes for a different flavor.

It would also be a great way to use up mangoes that have become too ripe.

myharleyPost 4

Mangoes have quickly become one of my favorite fruits. I always like something sweet at the end of a meal, and slicing up a mango and drizzling it with a little bit of honey is a great way to do this.

I can eat this dessert knowing I am not packing on a bunch of calories, yet satisfy my sweet tooth at the same time.

SnowyWinterPost 3

@cmsmith10: It probably wouldn’t taste too great if you ate it! It is, however, the wood that comes from the mango tree that produces the delicious fruit.

The wood can be anywhere from light brown to dark brown and some have a slight hint of pink in them. Mango wood is becoming very popular to make furniture and other crafts with.

It is a dense, hard wood and is usually a very sustainable resource since the mango trees are usually replanted after being cut down.

cmsmith10Post 2

Is mango wood something you eat or is it something you use?

calabama71Post 1

There is a great mango salad recipe called “California Mango Salad”. It contains mango slices, avocado slices, kiwi slices, and poppy seed dressing.

To make it nice looking for guests, arrange the mango and avocado slices, alternating slices of each on a salad plate. Top with the sliced kiwi and then drizzle the poppy seed dressing on top of it.

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